Not Fried Okra

Ok, so on my my healthy eating plan I can't have corn meal. Corn meal is an essential ingredient in fried okra. Fried okra is one of my favorite foods. Sad sigh. So this summer I was determined to find a way to get that scrumptious okra flavor into my mouth. And I have eaten okra many ways this summer. I have tried it raw(It's better than I expected!), love it pickled, slimy boiled, crunchy dried and now I have two new ways to cook it.

The first way is oven roasted. I simply cut the tops off of the okra, tossed them in some olive oil, salt and pepper and baked them at 350 degrees. I turned them after 15-20 minutes and let them cook until a bit browned or blackened. Oh. So. Yummy!! Really. The flavor is so similar to fried okra I almost screamed with joy!

The oven roasted okra. It was even good left over!!

 The second way I fixed okra was pan roasted. The procedure is pretty similar to oven roasted, except that I was working with large okra, so I cut it into 2 inch segments. I heated oil in a large skillet, the one that broke my foot actually, and tossed the oil coated seasoned okra into the hot oiled skillet. I turned them frequently and cooked them on high. They took a while to get nice and dark. Dave really liked it. We ate the whole pan full between us in one sitting!

Now we need to try grilling okra while the okra picking is still good. Go enjoy summer eating while it lasts!!!!

Monster Vegetables!!!

Last week at the market I happened upon a monster vegetable. Seriously huge!!! Craig at Two Mule Farms grew some Cushaw squash or Cushaw melon, as it is also known. His lovely lady thought of me as she cooked some up the night before. They know how much I love winter squash. So I lugged this baby home.

Well, don't know that I could call it a baby. Maybe it is a toddler.

There. Pretty big huh?

The neck alone.

I started cutting. And cutting. And cutting!!! The neck alone yielded 6 quart bags full of cubed Cushaw!! Whao Nelly!!! I was in shock. I kept cutting.

One half of the bowl of the squash

The inside flesh. Very similar to a pumpkin.

seven quarts of Cushaw

Whew!!! One nasty blister and seven quarts later I was finished cubing my Cushaw. Isn't that fun to say? I love the sound of it. But I wasn't done. I still had half of a Cushaw to roast!!  Yes, this thing was a monster!!! I ended up eating about 1/4 of what I roasted and freezing the rest for soup or something like that.

This week I roasted my first batch of cubed Cushaw. I had read that some people treat it like potatoes. So I whipped up my spice blend for potatoes, mixed it all together and popped it into the oven. The result might have been better than potatoes. No lie!!! I can't wait to make more. Maybe some pie too!

Oh, and don't forget about the seeds!!! I used my same spice blend on the seeds and roasted them as one would roast pumpkin seeds. They were SO delicious! I think that they tasted even better than roasted pumpkin seeds. They are a little more crunchy. I want some more.

I might be crazy enough to buy another one if Craig shows up with more at the market. I will try not to get a blister next time!! Do you know of any unusually large or just unusual vegetables in your neck of the woods?

More Photos From Way Down South

Pretty much my own private pool. I only shared it a few times.

Yep. No one else around and the marsh is just that way.

Even at sunset, all mine!!

Part of the marina

I mean, can you beat this view?

Savannah, can't wait to see you again!!!

Way Down South

I am finally getting around to uploading some pictures of our trip to Savannah. We had a great time fishing and relaxing. A few big ones got away, the sharks made an appearance and the sunsets were gorgeous. I can't wait to get back down there!!!

A crab in the crab trap

Oops. A blowfish in the crab trap.

Dave with one of the sharks he caught and let go. It was shark week after all.

What's in Dave's tackle box?

This is where we were fishing. Gorgeous!!

A ray. One of the many things swimming out there.

Going towards the marina. I was trying to get a photo of the dolphins but they didn't cooperate.

Dave's goal was to catch dinner. Here is some whiting cooked up along with fried okra and green beans. Yum yum.

Joel with some kind of fish that I can't remember the name of

More to come!!!

Aww.... How Cute!

Are you ready for some cuteness?

momma and baby

Baby peeking out from under momma's wing. You have to look really closely!

And are you ready for the cutest ever? I couldn't believe my eyes when I walked up on this sight. Are you really ready? Ok.

Oh my lands, the cuteness!!!

And another restful trip on Momma's back.

And one more for good measure. Mercy! 

 

Ok. I think that I have met my cute quota for about ten years! I love watching these two together. It will be so hard to put them outside where I can't watch their antics all of the time. I will try to take some more video soon. The baby is growing fast. She is starting to grow wing feathers and hop all over the place. She even knocked over her food. Silly girl!

There is more cuteness to come I am sure!

Cute Baby Chicken!!!

It isn't the best video, but you get to hear the baby peeping and Edith talking to her. Edith was showing her a piece of cantaloupe. I could watch them all day long!

Here is the baby chick!

We ended up with only one baby chick. Here she is with Momma Edith. That is right. Daisy didn't turn out to be a good mom. Edith is great!!!!

Lleulu checking on Edith and her baby

The fluffy blob is the baby. I was trying no to scare her with a flash!

Edith teaching the baby how to eat. Absolutely precious!!

A little better view of the baby. She is so tiny next to her mommy. She was either coming out from under Edith or about to go back under her.

 

Well, I have to go get ready for bed. Students start at school tomorrow. That means I will be awake well before the sun! I will post more chicken cuteness soon!

Chickens Hatching.....

So the chicks are hatching. We lost four. One hatched successfully so far. We have a momma hen and the eggs and one chick separated into the house. A chicken in the kitchen again!! I will tell you more later....

Yummy!!

My peach this last Saturday:

 I just had to share. It was as delicious as it looks. Thanks Pearson Farms for growing such delicious Georgia peaches!! I look forward to purchasing them every Saturday at the Marietta Square Farmer's Market.

Dairy Free, Sugar Free, Gluten Free Baking

I tried baking for the fist time on my new healthy eating plan a couple of weeks ago. I found some recipes on a fantastic website called Elana's Pantry. She actually has a coconut milk ice cream recipe on the home page right now. I might have to try that one!!

Anyway, she does her baking with coconut flour or almond flour and calls for very few ingredients compared to most gluten free baking recipes. So, I gave the blueberry muffins and lemon poppy seed muffins a whirl.

I forgot to take a picture of the blueberry ones. But these look pretty good, huh? I think they tasted pretty good too. I will definitely make them again.

What I learned? I don't miss baked good as much as I expected. I ate a couple of muffins and didn't want any more. Weird. Coconut flour makes a different texture of baked goods. It is noticeable but not bad. It is high in fiber and protein. I think that makes you eat less. Maybe not.

I can't wait to get some almond flour to make some more recipes!! Thanks Elana!